Written for Challenge 24 - The Heat Wave Challenge

Chosen CM Character : Spencer Reid

Assigned CM Character : Aaron Hotchner

Story Prompts (all used) : melting ice cream cone - swimming pool - a bikini top - swim trunks - a thunderstorm - soaring temperatures

One Short Day

If it hadn't been for the fact that he still had to keep his stitches dry, today would have been one that Aaron Hotchner would have termed near-perfect. He and his son Jack were spending a day at the pool accompanied by Spencer Reid. While he had not orginally been a part of the planned father/son outing, Reid had volunteered to come along when he'd heard Hotch worrying about not being able to get into the water with Jack himself due to his still recovering shoulder. While Jack was a decent swimmer, he was still too young to be in for long without an adult being with him.

Hotch had almost turned down Reid's offer, but looking around them now, he was glad that he hadn't. Reid and Jack had been playing in the water for over an hour, both obviously having a good time. They'd been joined by a pair of boys that were near Jack's age and Hotch couldn't hide the slight smile that formed as he noted that the mother of one boy and the older sister of the other were paying far more attention to Reid in his swim trunks than they were their young charges as the three pre-teens tossed a Nerf football between themselves and Reid.

Another young woman lounging on a chaise, clad in a silvery bikini that didn't look like it was designed to actually go into the water, was reading a magazine and occasionally casting an eye toward the pool. She had an ice cream cone that was melting faster than she could eat it and the disgruntled noise that she made when the strawberry scoop dripped onto her bikini top made it all the way across the pool to Hotch's ears.

The temperatures had been soaring lately, but today was overcast and, though hot, nowhere near as unbearable as it had been just yesterday. Still it was hot enough that Hotch was surprised that the woman wasn't wearing more of the ice cream on her than she was. Just as that thought ran through his mind, the woman sat up suddenly, dropping her cone to the ground as she stared very intently at Reid.

Fully involved with the tossing game he was playing with the boys, Reid had no inkling of what was going on poolside until the squeal erupted and gained the woman the attention of everyone at the pool.

"It's you! You're him!"

The mother and the older sister moved from their spots by the pool to get a look at the magazine that the woman was waving around. She passed the magazine to the older woman who looked from the magazine to Reid as well. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Jack pulled himself out of the pool and headed over, followed shortly be the other two boys.

Feeling both abandoned and on display, Reid swam over to the opposite end of the pool and got out, heading over to where Hotch was, grabbing a towel before sitting down on the vacant chair next to him. Hotch watched as Reid ran a hand through his wet hair, obviously feeling very self-conscious.

"Any idea what all that is about, Reid?"

"Well, I'm not positive, but there's a chance -"

He was interrupted by Jack coming over, excited.

"Dad! Did you know Spencer's in a magazine? And he's with the Wicked Witch! Isn't that cool?"

Feeling like he'd just walked in on something even though he hadn't moved, Hotch ran back over in his head what Jack had just said and looked back to Reid.

"The Wicked Witch?"

Already flushing, Reid didn't quite make eye contact with Hotch as he answered.

"Lila got the part of Elphaba in a touring company of 'Wicked'. While I haven't seen that magazine, I'm assuming someone caught a shot of the two of us on her opening night."

"Did they ever! Eww, how could you kiss a green girl?"

Reid was still trying to figure out how to answer that when the three females and two boys came over and Reid confessed that, yes, that was him in the pictures on the Hawaiian beach and at the opening party for the newest cast of 'Wicked'. To the amusement of both Hotch and Jack, the woman was even trying to get Reid to autograph one of the pictures for her despite his protests that he wasn't a celebrity.

To the great relief of Reid, the clouds overhead decided to let loose with a shower, accompanied by the distant rumble of thunder. It made for a speedy exit - one that Hotch was more than willing to go along with because, frankly, the whole situation was had gotten a bit surreal.

Still, as Hotch drove through the thunderstorm, he made a mental note of the name of that magazine. He needed to pick up a copy.